Loom.



J. W. KIRKUS.

LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE'T, 1910.

Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

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STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. KIRKUS, OF SHAWMUT, ALABAMA.

Loom,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17; 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

l 3e it known that 1, JOHN W. KIRKUS, a citlzen of the United States of America, re-

siding at Shawm'ut, in the county of Chainbers and State of Alabama, hav e invented I new and .useful Improvements in Looms, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to looms, and it has forits object to provide a simple, and improved means for actuating the picker sticks by means of compressed air, whereby said picker sticks shall' be actuated positively, efliciently and in such a manner that the return movement to each picker stick will be cushioned by the air that is being exhausted.

A further object of the invention is to simplify and improve the generalv construction and operation of a device of the-char-.

acter out-lined above.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention isbetter understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in'the claim.

In the a companying. drawing has been illustrated simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood thatno limitation is necessarily made-"to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the invention may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawi ng,-Figure 1 is a sectional front elevation, "showing a portion of the frame of a loonr together with such parts as are necessary to an understanding of the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 22 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail elevation illustrating a modification. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on the line 44 in Fig. 3.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The frame A of the improved loom is provided with uprights'2, 2 supporting cylinders 3 wherein-pistons 4 are arranged for reciprocation, said pistons. being each provided with a stem 5 extending through the head 6 at the outer end of the cylinder. The

frame is provided with .brackets 7 upon which the levers 8 constituting the picker sticks are pivoted, the lower ends of said picker sticks being movably connected with the piston stems 5 by means of plns 9 en gaging slots 10 adjacent to the. lower :ends of the picker sticks. Said picker sticks are designed in the usual manner to operate the shuttle 11. 12is the lay of the loom.

A feed pipe 13 is connected at one end with a source of supply of. compressed air, the other end of said pipe being extended, if desired, to supply the picker-actuating mechanism of a series of looms. The inner ends or heads of the cylinders 3 are provided with air inlets, 14: communicating through a branch pipe 15 with the supply pipe 13, said inlets 14 being intersected by valve casings 16 wherein valves 17 are arran ed for reciprocation. Each of the valves is provided with an inlet port 18 for the passage of air .to the cylinder from the source of supply and with an exhaust portor passage 19 through which the interior of the cylinder may communicate with the atmosphere. It is obvious that when the device is in operation, the valve appended to each cylinder alternately places such cylinder in communication with the supply and with the exhaust ports, the two positions being clearly indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

A driven shaft 20'supp0rted in suitable bearings is provided with suitable means,

such as a sprocket wheel 21, whereby it may 7 be driven from a suitable source of power. In Fig. 1 the shaft 20 is shown equipped with pinions 22, meshing with suitably supported spur-wheels 23, the faces of which are provided with cam grooves,as shown at 24 in Fig. 2. Each of the valves 17 has a stem 25 provided with-an anti-friction-element, such as a roller 26 engaging-the camgroove 24 of one of the spur wheels. It is obvious that when the spur wheels are rotated the valves will be actuated to reciprocate in their respective. casings, and .it isfurther obvious that the arrangement is such that "when-the cylinder at one side of the frame.

communicates with .the air' supply, the cylinder at the opposite end of the is in communication with the atmosphere through the exhaust. A pressure gage 27 may be provided if desired.

Under the construction. illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 the driven shaft 20 is provided at either end with an eccentric disk 28 having a strap 29 provided with a stem 30 which is pivotally connected with one of the valve stems 25 to which reciprocatory motion Wlll thus be imparted. It is obvious that within frame the scope of the invention other well known mechanical means may be provided for actuating the valves.

In the operation of this device, when the shaft is rotated, the valves will be actuated, and air will be alternately admitted to and exhausted from the cylinders at the two sides of the loom frame, thus actuating the picker sticks alternately to throw the shuttle. The picker stick which receives the impact of the shuttle will be thereby rocked to force the piston connected therewith in an inward direction, thus forcibly expelling the air contained in the cylinder of such piston, the escaping air forming a cushion whereby the force of the impact of the shuttle is relieved, and the operation .is steadied, andundue vibration is avoided.

Suitably arranged springs S may be used to assist the return movement of the piston 4. i Having thus described theinvention,what is claimed as new, is z- 2 In a loom, two cylinders" supported in axial alinement below the lay of the loom, a supply pipe communicating with a source of, supply of compressed air, said supply pipe being disposed below and in axial ends of the two cylinders,

alinement with the cylinders, a branch pipe extending from and at right supply pipe, inlet pipes connecting said branch pipe with the heads at the inner pipes being provided with a valve casing disposed transversely thereof and in regis-' try with the axial lines of the cylinders, valves operating in said casing and adapted to alternately connectthe interior of the cylinders with the compressed air supply and with the outer atmosphere, means for reciprocating said valves in opposite directions to one another, spring-actuated pistons operating in the cylinders and having stems extending through outer'ends of said cylinders, brackets extending from the frame of the 100111, and picker sticks supported pivotally upon said brackets, the lower'. ends of said picker sticks being operatively connected with the outer ends of the piston stems.-

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. KIRKUS.

Witnesses:

W. HOWELL MoRRow A. A. DARDEN.

angles to said each of said inlet theheads at the 

